


Child Of Light

by Unwritten_Future



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012), 光神話 | Kid Icarus (Video Games)
Genre: Crossover, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-09
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-01-18 17:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1437391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unwritten_Future/pseuds/Unwritten_Future
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Light is a thing we often take for granted, something we forget until it's needed. However the Guardians of Childhood are soon going to learn through their own Jack Frost Just how foolish it is to take anything for granted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The beginning

It had been over seventy years. Seventy years of emptiness and silence, from all but the wind.

It was enough to make anyone lose hope.

Jack found himself standing on a branch, staff in hand, gazing up at the moon.

“Why?” He waved the staff about for emphasis. “Why am I here?”

The moon remained silent. As always.

Jack scowled and lowered his staff. “Why do I even try?”

_“Because you still hope.”_

Jack jerked his head up. “What?”

_“Light.”_

Jack wasn’t sure if it was a command, or a statement. He supposed it was the former however, when he suddenly found himself in the middle of a kind of spotlight.

Turning on the branch, he found himself facing a strange sort of symbol in the sky. Looking rather like a floating bull’s-eye with several teardrops warping away from it, it seemed to pulse as he stared at it.

Then quite suddenly there was a spectral face staring at him.

_“Hope is a terrible thing to let die.”_ The face sighed and Jack caught sight of a lock of green hair. _“I suppose therefore, that that makes Bunnymund a terrible being.”_

Jack blinked. “Bunnymund?”

_“A spirit like you, although he is the spirit of hope.”_

“Like me? You mean there are others like me?!”

The face smiled, somewhat wanly. Then its, _her_ , Jack realized abruptly, voice sounded again. _“There are many like you and I across this world, Jack Frost.”_ The smile widened. _“Would you like to learn about them?”_

“Well, yeah, but why are you offering?”

_“Because you deserve answers. And you deserve more friends than just the wind.”_ A pillar of light suddenly shot down from the sky, bathing the branch next to him in radiance. _“I do not wish to see your hope die Jack. If you wish to meet me face to face, step into the light.”_

Jack clutched his staff and bit his lip. Then he sighed and jumped into the pillar. Immediately he was lifted into the air by some unseen force. As he rose skyward he shouted, “What’s your name?”

The face’s smile turned into a grin. _”My name is Palutena, Jack. And from this day on, the light shall be your guide.”_

 

 


	2. Palutena

“Pit, Pittoo-“

“ _Don’t_ call me that.”

“Well if you’d think of a name for yourself I wouldn’t have to.”

As Pittoo grumbled something, Pit spoke up. “What is it, Lady Palutena?”

The woman smiled. “We will be having a guest shortly. Treat him with respect.”

“Who’s the guest?”

Palutena smiled again. “His name is Jack Frost, and he’ll be staying with us for a while at the very least.”

Pit blinked. “That ice guy you’ve been watching?”

The green haired goddess nodded. “Yes. His proper title is Spirit of Winter however, so do try and remember it.”

A bright flash of light erupting from the dais in the center of the room prevented her from further elaboration.

~***~

“And here he is!”

Jack blinked away spots and looking up, found the source of the voice to be a green haired woman that appeared to be vaguely Greek, at least in dress. Like him, she carried a staff, though hers had a large blue orb sitting between two opposing arches. The symbol he had seen in the sky was actually floating just behind her head, and followed her as she moved.

She approached him, sandals tapping softly on the marble floor. “Greetings, Jack Frost.” She smiled. “I am Lady Palutena, the Goddess of Light.” She gestured behind her towards two people that Jack thought looked like inverse twin angels. “This is Pit-“ The brown haired one stepped forward, wings flaring out. “And Pitto.” This time the raven haired one let out a grunt of some sort and waved half-heartedly, looking put upon.

Lady Palutena extended her hand to him.

After a moment’s hesitation, Jack took it.

“Jack Frost, Spirit of Winter.” He bit his lip. “But I suppose you probably already know that, huh?”

Palutena laughed. “Yes, I did.” The orb on her staff lit up as she thumped it on the ground. “First things first. We need to see about getting you proper accommodations.” She looked pensive for a moment before brightening. “I believe we have an unused island that could be turned into something.”

Jack blinked. “An island?”

The goddess smiled. Then she waved her staff. A floating image appeared in the air of a series of loosely grouped islands. Gesturing at the largest, she said, “We are all on the center island of Skyworld, which is our home and base of operations. I’ve expanded it quite a bit over the years, not that it wasn’t fairly large to begin with. Obviously I have more islands than I can really use nowadays, so it’d be easy enough to convert one into a place for you.” She glanced up at him. “Or I could bring that lake of yours up here if you’d prefer. I’ve seen you return to it quite a bit, so I’m guessing you’re rather attached to it.”  


Jack stared at her for a moment, feeling speechless and with a lump seeming to have grown in his throat. Finally he managed to swallow the lump and said, “Is it even safe to rip a lake out of the ground?”

The goddess frowned. “No, probably not. I’d probably never hear the end of it from Viridi either.” Seeing Jack’s expression she added, “Viridi is the Goddess of Nature, and is sort of a liason between Mother Nature and Gaea, though she’s technically over Mother Nature. It’s a little complicated.” She waved a hand. “You’ll meet her shortly. We’ll need her help if we’re going to find Gaea.”

Jack blinked. “Find Gaea?”

Palutena nodded. “She’s the Spirit of the Earth, mistress of the entire planet. If anyone can help you with your powers, it’s her.”

That strange lump was back, Jack found. This time it seemed to have become larger. If she noticed, Palutena didn’t say anything. She simply smiled and thumped her staff on the ground again. One of the islands in the image shifted, and glided over to the largest one, the other islands moving around to make room. She thumped her staff on the ground again. This time snow started falling gently over the island.

Looking pleased, the goddess stepped back. “There. We can draw up some designs for a temple for you tomorrow. It’s quite late, and architecture requires thought. Besides, you look like you might benefit from some Skyworld cuisine.”

Jack felt his cheeks ice over slightly. “Erm, food doesn’t really have an effect on me. I tried it with a few apples and stuff over the years.”

The goddess raised an eyebrow. “A few apples? Have you actually tried it with full on meals?”

Jack winced. “Uh, not really. I tried cooking something once, but apparently I don’t do so well around fire, so I ended up burning it to charcoal. And I’ve never had meat.”

Palutena’s lips twitched. “I see. That being the case, we’ll try you out small with something light, pardon the pun.” She twitched her hand and her staff disappeared, bursting into beams of light. “I’ll whip something up!”

As her back was turned, she missed the twin looks of horror from Pit and Pittoo. Pit jumped forward, waving his hands. “Lady Palutena, the chef’s already made most of tonight’s meal. It won’t take him more than a minute to make one more dish.”

The goddess shrugged. “I suppose you’re right. Send an order in to the kitchen.”

Behind her Pittoo looked relieved. To Jack he muttered, “The last time she tried to cook, she brought the vegetables to life and they revolted. Took us three days to hunt down all the mutant carrots.”

Jack blinked. “Mutant carrots?”

The black haired angel nodded. “Nasty little things led the revolt. I’m _still_ not convinced we got them all.”

Lady Palutena caught Jack’s attention before he could say more. “While Pit’s running that request down to the chef, Pittoo and I can show you around the main temple, and I can get a room set up for you for tonight.”

What followed was a whirlwind tour of the imposing building that left Jack’s head spinning. When they reached one of the bedrooms, Lady Palutena caused her staff to re-appear and drastically lowered the temperature.

“This’ll do for tonight I suppose. We’ll do the heavy building after breakfast tomorrow, after you’ve met Viridi.”

“You don’t need to go through all this trouble for me.”

The sharp glance from Lady Palutena caused Jack to blush blue again. After a moment she smiled. ‘The thing is, I _want_ to, and it really isn’t that difficult.”

Jack had no response to this.

~***~

Dinner, for Jack, consisted of a large assortment of leafy looking greens with chunks of something white and drizzled with a sauce. According to Lady Palutena, it was called a chicken salad.

Jack found it absolutely wonderful.

Lady Palutena looked pleased. “We’ll try you out on heavier foods once you get used to regular intake.” The goddess herself was eating a slab of meat that she said was a steak.

Pit was eating what appeared to be a slab of meat on a bun, although there were a few greens showing. “Wait until you try a hamburger!” he grinned ear to ear, indicating the meat on a bun. “They’re awesome!”

Pittoo was eating what he said was soup, and was doing it much more sedately than Pit, shaking his head at his twin.

~***~

Later after he’d been led back to his room for the night, Jack found himself to still be in awe of everything. As he slipped under the covers of his bed, he supposed that the best part was how permanent Lady Palutena made things sound. In minutes he was drifting off to sleep, dreaming of smiling goddess and flying angels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note that when Palutena says "temple" she's using it the same way most people would use the word "house". She's also a terrible cook, as evidenced in the shorts, "Palutena's revolting dinner, part's 1 and 2" she is however a very ebenevolent person.


	3. Viridi

The next morning, Jack was awakened from the most restful sleep he’d had in perhaps thirty years by Pit knocking on the door.

The ever cheerful angel led him back to the dining hall saying, “Viridi’s here already, and she’s eager to meet you.”

“She knew about this in advance?”

Pit frowned. “Well no. Lady Palutena asked to her to visit, and as soon as she found out it was about a nature spirit, Viridi was more than willing to come by.” He paused. “She can be kind of prickly most of the time, but she can be really nice when she wants to be.”

He opened the doors to the dining hall and led him in.

~***~

Viridi turned out to be as interested in Jack as Lady Palutena, though perhaps for different reasons. The blonde goddess rose from her seat at the table and practically glided across the room, toting a rather wicked looking staff. While Jack was trying to decide if it reminded him more of a scythe or a bird’s head, Viridi scanned him over. The effect was disconcerting when performed by a deity that appeared roughly half Jack’s age.

“So _you’re_ Jack Frost!” When Jack leaned on his staff somewhat self-consciously she cracked a smile. “I can see why Palutena called me.” Turning to her, she said, “I think you’re right. Where did you find him?”

Directing a floating pile of steaming plates towards the table with one hand, Palutena said, “A settlement in the North American continent. The colony of Burgess I think it was.”

Viridi frowned. “Hmph. My informants were telling me it was Everest he liked to roost in. I’ll have to punish them.” She turned back to Jack in a whirl of movement, setting her rose colored dress swirling. “So, I suppose introductions are in order. I am Mistress Viridi, Goddess of Nature, mistress of the living earth.”

At a loss for what to say, Jack settled for a quick bow. “Jack Frost, Spirit of Winter, Mistress Viridi.”

Viridi’s grin grew wider. “Oh, I _like_ him.” She marched back to her seat and sank down, her staff vanishing.

Lady Palutena pulled out a chair and gestured for Jack to have a seat. Jack did so and found himself facing a steaming pile of what he recognized to be pancakes. An array of syrups appeared before him when he picked up a fork.

The food was once again delicious.

~***~

Halfway through the breakfast, Viridi, who had been speaking quietly with Lady Palutena, turned her attention to Jack.

“So Palutena tells me you keep returning to a lake?”

Swallowing his mouthful of pancakes, Jack nodded. “Yeah. I think it’s where I was born.”

Viridi shook her head. “That would make you a water spirit, not a winter one.”

Jack shrugged. “The first thing I remember was that everything was cold and dark. And I was terrified. Then suddenly I was rising and saw the moon. It was so big and bright. And suddenly I wasn’t scared anymore. I could feel this strange warmth filling me, till it felt like I was going to burst.”

Viridi exchanged a look with Lady Palutena. “Then what?”

“Then I heard this voice tell me. “ _You are Jack Frost, Spirit of Winter._ ”

“And?”

“And what? That’s all the moon told me, and that was a long time ago.”

Viridi’s expression became thunderous for a moment. Then she turned to Palutena. “Now I _know_ you’re right. We need Gaea.” She frowned. “Gaea gave me several methods to locate her no matter what the situation. Give me a few days to track her down.” To Jack she said, “It’d be easier if I was able to ask the winds, since they’re directly connected to her, but the winds either won’t or _can’t_ respond to anyone lately.”

Jack blinked. “I can hear the wind just fine.” He grinned. “Wind’s actually quite a chatterbox. Granted it can be hard to understand it sometimes, especially since it doesn’t always use words, but I usually get the gist.” He glanced at Palutena. “It really likes you, Lady Palutena. And now it’s ecstatic that you’re here Viridi.”

A chunk of pancake fell from Viridi’s upraised fork. “You can hear it?!”

Jack shrugged. “Ever since I was er, _born_ , I guess. Right after the moon told my name, I found my staff, and I frosted a few trees. Then suddenly wind came rushing in and swept me up into the air. I don’t think it was used to carrying anything like me, because it dropped me on accident right after. I mean it apologized a lot, and we got used to each other pretty quick.”

Viridi closed her mouth and coughed. “I see.”

Lady Palutena tapped her lip in thought. “I wonder if he accidentally tied the wind to him when he gained his staff.”

Viridi made a face. “Maybe, but I doubt it. I think it’s probably the other way around. The winds have always been a little… _whimsical_.” She shook her head. “Well, so long as they’re alright then it’s fine. Gaea can set things to rights once we find her. Give me a little while and I’ll let you know once I’ve found her.”

Palutena nodded. “Thank you Viridi. Jack, let’s finish up and we can start designing a temple for you.”

~***~

Temple designing, Jack decided, was both very fun and very tiring. But it did end well. Viridi had stayed long enough to add a series of intricate ice designs that curled like vines around the exterior of the new building. Upon hearing how nice it looked, the goddess had immediately flushed and muttered something about needing to find Gaea. She had vanished soon after.

Most of the actual building was done by a portion of Lady Palutena’s army, a rather musclebound group of flying soldiers that she called Centurion Strongarms. Each one of them were able to carry a pillar at least three times their length. Jack noticed that they all had a stylized tattoo of Palutena’s head on one arm.

When he commented on it though, Lady Palutena giggled. “They did it as some sort of tribute to me a few centuries back. They were just so _proud_. It was adorable really. Remind me to introduce you to the rest of the army later.”

~***~

The finished temple, while not as large as Palutena’s, was still sizable. It was also quite open, allowing the winds to come and go freely.

Jack landed on his new bed with a thump, watching a group of centurions head towards the giant winged statue of Palutena carrying something.

“Well Wind, looks like things are looking up huh?”

The wind gusted around him, ruffling curtains and blowing anything loose up into the air. With each gust of air, Jack could feel words resonating from deep inside him. _Palutena, Palutena, Palutena, Thank Palutena! Palutena good!_

Jack chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right Wind. She’s pretty good.” He watched as the centurions started attaching something to the staff on the statue outside.

After a moment the centurions left the statue, and Jack could see a gigantic snowflake attached to the end of the staff, shining like a beacon in the sun.

Very quietly he said, “I think she might be the best thing that ever happened to us.”

Wind gusted around him in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Viridi is of course a person who is about as cuddly as a cactus most of the time, but she does have a good heart underneath


	4. Medusa

The next day dawned strangely dark. Though she didn’t say it, Jack could tell that Lady Palutena was worried. She kept casting glances at the sky and eventually retreated into a room of her temple that housed what appeared to be a giant crystal pool in an urn of sorts.

“Through this pool, I can watch over the entire world Jack.” She smiled slightly. “It’s how I found you.” She frowned. “Now however, I can sense that something is wrong. Something is stirring, and I’m trying to find out what.”

The pool shimmered and turned purple. Palutena took a step back in surprise. “You needn’t look too far.” The voice was dark and feminine.

Palutena’s expression darkened. “Medusa!”

Jack leaned over the lip of the pool and caught sight of a very pale face with purple eyes sneering at them. The eyes narrowed when they spotted Jack, and the face drew back, revealing itself to be female. To Jack’s surprise, the black hair was interspersed with snakes, one of them a bright gold.

“And just who might you be?” She sounded both wary and curious at the same time.

“Jack Frost, Madame Medusa.”

Medusa blinked, looking somewhat nonplussed. Jack got the impression that she wasn’t used to anyone giving her a title. After a moment she shook her head. “My quarrel is not with you. Stay out of the way and you won’t get hurt.”

Lady Palutena’s eyebrows rose until they reached her hairline. “Sparing someone? That’s not like you Medusa.”

Medusa’s lips thinned. “Let’s just say it’s nice to see someone who knows how to respect their betters.”

Palutena’s lips twitched, but she said, “And how are you back this time Medusa? Last I checked, Hades was in no shape to go about resurrecting people.”

Medusa frowned. “It wasn’t Hades, that much I’m sure of.” She shook her head. “But the how doesn’t matter!”

“And revenge does?” Palutena sounded slightly bored.

Medusa’s smile was almost feral. “There’s always a reason for revenge.”

“Not a good one.” Jack said quietly.

Medusa heard him however. “And what would you know about revenge, you skinny little twig?”

Jack felt himself smile slightly. “You think I haven’t wanted revenge against anyone? Whoever it is camping out up there in the moon made me and dumped me on this planet with nothing more than a name. Of course I have resentment towards him. I even wanted revenge against him for a while, but I eventually realized it would have been pointless. What would that have got me?”

Medusa smirked. “Satisfaction.”

Jack shrugged. “Somehow I don’t think it would have lasted long.”

The goddess eyed him. “Then that’s your problem I suppose.” Her attention returned to Palutena. “I rather thought you would know what was going on.”

Palutena’s lips pursed. “Believe me, if I _had_ known, I would have done something about it.” She eyed Medusa. “You really don’t know who brought you back?”

The goddess shook her head, snakes swaying. “I only know it wasn’t Hades. I checked the underworld. He’s as gaseous as when you and Pit blasted him. The first thing I remember was a voice saying something about ice and the winds of change blowing in a new direction.” She rolled her eyes. “Not exactly a lot to go on.”

“I suppose not.”

Jack leaned over the edge of the pool again. “Why did you contact us? It’s obviously not to gloat.”

Medusa’s eyes narrowed. “What makes you think I did it for anything other than my own amusement?”

“You’re not exactly laughing.”

Medusa was silent for a moment. “I wanted a truce, however temporary.” Jack watched Lady Palutena’s mouth drop open. “I have no idea who revived me, but I _refuse_ to play the decoy puppet in their schemes. Having Palutena track them down is worth the embarrassment of siding with her.”

Lady Palutena’s lips quirked up into a smile. “And why should I side with you?”

“Because the last time I was revived, the culprit created mass panic and worldwide chaos, and very nearly brought the heavens and earth crashing down.”

Palutena grew serious at once. “Good point. It’s a deal. It might be better if you come to Skyworld yourself. If someone’s expecting you to attack us, then we’ll be able to gain some time, and the element of surprise. Incidentally, who’s been in charge of the underworld proper while Hades is out of commission?”

“Apparently the reapers. They’ve largely been the responsible parties for chivying souls back and forth, though they relinquished control to me upon my arrival. The alternative was Loki’s daughter, and they evidently didn’t feel Hel had had enough experience with the entirety of the underworld.”

“A more likely reason is that she didn’t want to. I suppose that rules out an underworld culprit. The reapers don’t have the skill to revive a goddess, Thanatos isn’t the type to try, and Hel’s too easy going to make waves like that. Especially considering that I asked her to guard Hades remains.”

“Which leaves an Overworld force.”

“There’s not many spirits or deities that would even attempt it, but it could just as easily been a human mage. There’s still a few around, for all that everyone thinks they’ve died out.”

“If it was a human, I’ll rend their very soul to pieces.” Her image vanished from the pool of liquid.

Lady Palutena sighed. Then she turned to Jack. “I had hoped you would never have to have an encounter with her. I thought her gone for good last time, but apparently someone likes to meddle.”

“Who is she?”

“She is Medusa, Queen of the Underworld, and the Goddess of Darkness. And my sister.”

“You two don’t look anything alike.”

Palutena smiled wanly, her eyes looking distant. “Long ago we did. We used to rule together, I the day and she the night. When we first came about, deities and spirits alike were either imprisoned or otherwise rendered powerless, and the world had been cloaked in hatred, fear, evil, and despair. “

“Together with Pit, we fought back against those forces. Working as one, the three of us, along with our forces, banished Weeping Night, the Spirit of Despair into a realm beyond that of ours and sealed him there. Pit himself slayed Risodante, the Spirit of Hatred in battle. The wounds he sustained from that battle are the reason he cannot fly without assistance. “

“We defeated Umber, the Spirit of Evil, and Medusa herself executed her, using her as an example of what would happen to those who would attempt to wreak havoc. Many thought it was a fitting end.”

“What about Fear?”

Palutena shook her head. “With despair, hatred, and evil defeated, Gaia and Viridi were free. They took the fight straight to the master of fear, Pitch Black, the Nightmare King. After a vicious battle, they defeated him and forced him into hiding. These days, he’s known as the Boogeyman.”

“They didn’t get rid of him?”

She frowned. “Fear is a universal constant. It’s what makes children look both ways, what keeps them from touching a hot stove. It’s what makes animals be wary of strangers. Fear is a necessity of life, and as such it cannot be destroyed.” Palutena’s lips pursed. “However, that doesn’t mean the current wielder of it cannot be removed. In the case of Pitch Black, there were other forces at work.”

“Other forces?”

Palutena grimaced. “It’s a very long story, and I’ll tell it to you soon, but the short answer is that Pitch Black is not entirely in control of himself. There’s also the matter of the Guardians. These days, he’s primarily their enemy.”

“The Guardians?”

“A special group made up of four spirits. That’s another story I’ll tell you. At any rate, Medusa and I worked in harmony for many years. Unfortunately, Medusa began to turn against the humans, punishing them ever more viciously. Drying up their crops, visiting plagues upon them, turning them to stone, etcetera.” She paused for a moment.

“In my anger I confronted her. After a fierce battle, I defeated her, and I transformed her into the image that I saw in heart, and banished her from skyworld. The face you saw today is a facade, an image she puts up.”

“You transformed her?”

Lady Palutena sighed. “I was enraged, and wasn’t thinking clearly. Looking back, I can’t help but suspect that Hades may have been involved even then. Medusa certainly seemed to change overnight.”

"Hades?”

The former master of the underworld. He was the last one who revived Medusa. And he did it solely as a distraction to keep me busy so I wouldn’t notice what he was up to. If someone is using that tactic again, then who knows what their end goal is.”

She smiled grimly. “If that is the case however, I seriously doubt they ever expected Medusa to call a truce, which means we have an advantage, however slight.”

~***~

The next day, Medusa arrived with fairly little fanfare on her part, but a great deal of panic from the centurions. Jack was irresistibly reminded of a flock of startled birds as every one of them launched themselves into the air.

Ignoring the numerous weapons pointed at her, Medusa turned her attention to Palutena and Pit, who were swiftly approaching. “I see you didn’t inform them.” She waved a hand to indicate the centurions.

“Stand down!” Palutena barked. When the centurions hesitated, she thumped her staff on the ground. “I said stand down! She’s not our enemy!”

“For once.” Pit muttered quietly.

Palutena shot him a glance, but otherwise ignored it. To Medusa she said, “Actually I _did_ tell them. But evidently they thought I was joking.” She sent the still armed centurions a rather stern look.

When they finally lowered their weapons, Medusa turned her attention to Jack. “You look…new.”

Unsure how to respond to this, Jack remained silent.

Medusa swept closer, leaning down to stare him in the eyes. “You _are_ a young one.”

“Seventy, or thereabouts I think.” Palutena supplied.

Medusa’s eyes narrowed. “Winter?”

“According to the man in the moon, yeah.” Jack said. “Never bothered to say anything else though.”

“Somehow, I’m not surprised.” Medusa said archly. “The Man in the Moon has always been a little less than excellent.” With that, she swept off, following Palutena into her temple.

Pit wandered up next to him. “Sounds kinda like she actually approves of you.”

“Yeah, I sort of caught that myself. What did she mean about the moon being “less than excellent”?”

Pit shrugged. “If she ever knew the man in the moon, then it’s news to me. Lady Palutena and I almost never even speak with him, though I think that has more to do with him than anything else.” He frowned. “Either way, I don’t like having Medusa here, even if she _does_ seem more…laid back.” He shrugged again. “I guess being destroyed three times gives you some perspective for when it’s your fourth time around.”

“Fourth?”

“Yeah. The last two were because of Hades.”

“Lady Palutena mentioned him earlier. Who was he?”

“The god of the underworld. He revived her once as distraction, and I don’t know why he did it a second time, but it backfired then. Hades was about to destroy me when Medusa showed up out of nowhere and punched his head off. Said she wouldn’t play the puppet any longer.”

“She punched his _head_ off?”

Pit nodded as they headed back towards the temple. “Yeah. Lady Palutena said she got an A for vindictive tenacity. Even then it wasn’t enough. Hades grew a new head and destroyed her. Said she’d worn out her usefulness.” He shook his head. “Usefulness to _him_ maybe. Her attack bought Lady Palutena enough time to come up with a plan, and gave Viridi the chance to get me into the air. I’m starting to think that was _Medusa’s_ plan. She had to know she wouldn’t be able to hold Hades off for very long.”

“Hades sounds like he must have been powerful.”

“Very. He caused decimation on a global scale, and disrupted the balance of life so badly that it took his own destruction to set things right. And he did it purely because he was greedy. If it hadn’t been for Medusa, I’m not sure we would have won.”

Mulling this over, Jack followed Pit into the temple.

 

~***~

Dinner with Medusa as a guest was just as interesting as breakfast with Viridi had been. Shortly after she had been served a rather raw looking steak by a very nervous centurion, she started giving Jack some strangely searching looks that made Jack feel as if he was being looked _through_ rather than at.

After a few minutes of this she spoke. “Man in the Moon isn’t the only responsible party is he?”

Since he had no idea what she was asking, Jack was glad that it was Palutena that answered. “Viridi and I are fairly certain that Gaea is the main force behind it. Viridi is out searching for her as we speak. She said she’ll contact us as soon as she gets things figured out.”

Medusa frowned. “That might take a while. Gaea is a…elusive being.”

Palutena nodded. “Viridi seemed confident she could find her very quickly.”

Jack blinked, remembering something. “When you first contacted us, you said a voice told you about the winds of change. Was it the Man in the Moon speaking to you?”

To his surprise, Medusa actually burst out into a full-fledged laugh. It was rich and melodious, and completely at odds with her former behavior. As she settled back, Jack saw a real unguarded smile. It seemed to transform her entire face, and for a moment, Jack was forcibly reminded of Lady Palutena.

When she managed to control herself, Medusa shook her head, still smiling. “It wasn’t him that much I’m _certain_ of. We never exactly got on.”

Lady Palutena leaned forward, looking interested. “I didn’t realize you had any contact with him.”

Medusa pulled a face, the snakes on her head hissing. “Contact is a bit of a _strong_ description. Tsar Lunar’s idea of recent is something like centuries. Back in the early days, we both viewed ourselves as guardians of the night. That being the case, we had our differences. Eventually, Lunar started focusing more and more exclusively on children, though he still kept an eye on the world, for all the good that did. He certainly never interfered in any of our tiffs.”

Jack took a careful sip of his soup and found it to be quite pleasant. “But you came before him didn’t you? That was the impression I got.” When Medusa looked puzzled he said, “Lady Palutena told me that you three fought to free the world when you first came around.”

Her expression cleared at this. “Ah. Yes, we did. Lunar was already here however. He and Pitch Black arrived at roughly the same time. That being said, Lunar either didn’t know what to do, or wasn’t old enough to do it. He essentially grew up in his observatory up there. Which is why it ended up being Viridi and Gaea who actually forced Pitch Black from power that first time. No one else really had the strength to do it. Fear is a powerful foe.”

~***~

That night, Jack had a particularly nasty dream. Fire and screaming raced through his mind like lightning. He jerked awake to find that he himself had been screaming.

Lady Palutena had evidently heard him as well. She swept in, looking more than a little concerned. “Are you alright Jack?” Medusa was behind her, looking around the room with a strangely suspicious expression.

“I- I think so. It was all fire and screams.”

“A lost memory perhaps.”

Jack shook his head. “I don’t remember anything like that. I usually stay away from fire after the whole bonfire incident.”

Palutena’s lips twisted. “I suspect there’s a story involved in that. The word “Incident” usually gives it away.”

“There was something else too, something dark and nasty.”

Medusa suddenly made a snatching motion over in one corner. “Nasty is right.” Palutena turned from her spot at the foot of Jack’s bed. “A _fearling_.”

Jack felt his dinner trying to come up as he saw the squirming, ink like shadow that was caught in Medusa’s clawed hand. “What is _that_?”

Medusa squeezed her hand and thing gave out a high pitched shriek and exploded into nothingness. “A fearling, though a weak one. They spread nightmares and fear.” Her eyes narrowed. “They are agents of Pitch Black.”

Palutena raised a finger. “That’s not entirely accurate you know.”

Medusa shrugged. “It seems easier to understand than them being agents of each other.” She turned to Jack, who was watching her, wide-eyed. “That being said _I_ am the true ruler of darkness, and all it entails. Weak little creatures of the dark such as them have no power against _me_. Dreams, sweet or vicious are of little effort for me.” She traced a symbol of some kind in the air over the bed. “Sleep well, and rest easy in dreams of peace.”

She swept out. Palutena was silent for a moment before saying. “I do believe you’ve won her over, Jack.” She smiled at him. “It’s heartening to see signs of Medusa as she was so long ago. I think you can probably bring out the good in her that’s been hidden away for so long.”

She too left and Jack quickly fell into a sleep that was filled with warm and comforting darkness, and light, shining gently down from above.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy! This took a while to write. Medusa is a very tough character to write, and I had to go back and re-listen to her scenes before I felt I had a good handle on her. As for the bit about Pit's wings, I was fairly certain that Palutena's explanation that they "just don't work right" was hiding something.
> 
> I think we can all guess who's going to appear next btw :)


	5. Gaea

Jack awoke the next day to the feeling of being watched.

 

The feeling had intensified by the time he got to the main temple for breakfast. Even the wind felt heavy.

 

It was obvious that Palutena and Medusa could sense it too. Both goddesses were looking uneasy, and Medusa kept shooting looks over her shoulder.

 

Jack shuddered. I’m not the only one that feels it then?”

 

Lady Palutena shook her head. “No. It feels as if someone or something is here.” She frowned. “I’d like to think that nothing could invade Skyworld without my knowing it, but I’m not that unrealistic.”

 

Medusa looked as though she would very much like to say something to this, but refrained. Instead she shot another look over her shoulder and said, “It doesn’t seem to be malevolent.”

 

_I should hope I’m not._

Jack flinched. The voice seemed to come from everywhere. Then there was a thrum of energy, and the air seemed to thicken. Jack could make out a vaguely human shape. There was a strange hissing sound, and the shape solidified.

 

Palutena drew in a breath. “Mother Gaea.”

 

“The one and only.” Her voice was rich and warm. Then she turned and leaned down to stare Jack full in the face.

 

The effect was highly disconcerting. While Palutena and Medusa both looked somewhat Grecian, Mother Gaea’s face was a sort of mixture of anyone he had ever seen. Her eyes were a deep lilac, and there was something in them that Jack couldn’t define. Power certainly, enough to make him wary, but something else as well.

 

She leaned back, and Jack got an opportunity to examine the rest of her. Her hair was a deep black, except for a lock of white that fell across her forehead. She was in a deep purple toga that was knotted at one shoulder with a long streamer of fabric. There was a similar fabric streamer tied to her other arm. Her skin itself was a sort of brown that put Jack in mind of a tree trunk.

 

Gaia frowned. “You are owed an apology, Jack Frost, if you’d have it.”

 

Jack blinked. “I-you don’t owe me a-anything.”

 

The frown deepened. “I’m afraid I do. I trusted Lunanoff to do what he should for you. I let myself sleep after your creation, and in doing so I left you entirely on your own.” She shook her head. “I left you to fend for yourself in a world that has quite clearly failed to recognize you.”

 

Jack didn’t quite know what to say. He settled for, “The wind was with me, even if it can’t really speak.”

 

Gaea smiled then. “Yes, Viridi mentioned as much. I am glad that some part of me found you. Even one as…detached as it. I gave them autonomy many eons ago. To see them aid you as they have is a wonderful sight.”

 

Then she caught sight of Medusa. “Now _here’s_ a surprise. You’ve returned _and_ you’re getting along with Palutena? My how times have changed.”

 

Medusa tossed her head and smirked. “Let’s just say things are up in the air at the moment. We’ve called a truce.” Her smile faded and she glanced at Jack. “I’m beginning to think my real enemy is that squatter up on the moon.”

 

Gaea’s expression changed so fast, Jack was sure she had to get some sort of whiplash. There was anger in it, and something that vanished too fast for Jack to identify. “While it is true that Lunanoff cannot communicate easily, there is much he _could_ have done. We will be having a _chat_ at the next great conclave.”

 

Even _centuries_ later, Jack would swear that that moment was the most terrifying he had ever experienced. Even though the anger was not directed at him, Jack still felt his insides run cold for a moment.

 

Fortunately, it was at this moment that Viridi arrived with Pit in tow. “I found her!” She stopped dead, Pit narrowly avoiding a collision with her. “And you found Medusa…”

 

Jack grinned. “Actually she kinda found us.” He glanced at the smirking goddess. “She’s really pretty nice you know.”

 

Medusa shuddered at this. “Nice is the last thing I should be. Those humans down below need to be put in their place, not coddled, vainglorious things that they are.”

 

Jack blinked. “They’re not that bad are they?”

 

Medusa glanced at him, but Palutena said hastily. “I think we all have different opinions on that matter.”

 

Gaea snorted but seemed to let it go. Instead she said, “Where is your base of operations Jack?”

 

Jack blinked. “Um, here I guess?” He pointed his staff back behind him. “Lady Palutena built a temple for me here. I mean, I’ve only been here for a few days, but it’s the first time I’ve ever actually slept in a building, if that’s what you’re asking.”

 

Gaea exchanged a glance with Viridi. “You have never stayed in Seraphina’s castle?”

 

Jack’s brows furrowed. “Who? Lady Palutena is literally the first person I’ve met since the moon spoke to me.”

 

Gaea looked as if she had been carved from stone. Viridi winced and grabbed Pit, before prudently taking cover behind Jack. There was a rumble and lightning lanced down, decimating the ground.

 

Gaea seemed to go slightly misty, before solidifying again. “We will be speaking with her. I have told her we are coming.”

 

She held out a hand to Jack, but to his relief, she stopped short of actually touching him. He had had a hard enough time just making himself take Palutena’s hand the other day. “I can transport us there, if you like.”

 

“Not without me!” Viridi snapped. “You’re not the only one who wants to have words with her!”

 

Gaea simply nodded and raised her arms. There was a thrum of power and, Jack closed his eyes as he felt his insides twist.

 

~***~

It wasn’t until he felt the wind rushing around him, that Jack opened his eyes. And promptly stared.

 

Seraphina’s castle appeared to be largely made of vines, flowers, and latticework, though there was a central tower made of stone that seemed to have been created from a single boulder.

 

_Can you hear me Jack?_

 

Jack jolted at the echoing voice in the back of his head. “Lady Palutena?”

 

_Don’t worry, I’m using telepathy._

**_We’re_ using telepathy.** Medusa’s voice corrected.

 

When he focused on them, he found he could actually see Medusa smirking.

 

_…Right._ Palutena sounded a touch apologetic. _Anyway, **we** weren’t about to let you go in there blind._

“What am I, a pile of dirt?!” Jack jolted as Viridi floated up next to him, perched on a large fluffy cloud.

 

_No. But I think something’s up._ When he focused on her, Jack saw Palutena was looking quite serious. _Gaea was unaware of Jack’s fate, and you were apparently misled. It seems someone doesn’t want Jack to be found._

**It would take some serious power to hide him from Gaea.**

_Exactly. Power enough to revive a god._

 

Viridi exchanged a glance with Jack.

 

_Think about it. I take in Jack, and a mere two days later, Medusa is revived? If that’s supposed to be a coincidence, I don’t buy it, especially since Hades already tried that twice._

**You think that was what my revival was? An attempt at distraction?**

 

Palutena was quiet for a moment. _To quote the humans, “Monkey see, monkey do”. The difference is that this time, neither of us were distracted, and you actually sided with us._

 

Viridi pursed her lips. “What does this have to do with Seraphina?”

 

_If I’m right, she won’t even have known Jack existed. If they were able to put one over on you and Gaea, they certainly would have managed to do it to her. The only alternative is that she **did** know and chose to ignore him. Honestly I don’t know which one I should hope for._

“We shall see soon enough.” Gaea materialized next to them. “Head for the peak of the tower. It’s where the seasonal masters are _supposed_ to assemble each year.”

 

Viridi grimaced. “No time like the present I guess. Let’s go Jack.”

 

~***~

The peak of the tower turned out to be a large room sectioned off into five areas, with a large table of sorts in the center. Every section was a different color, which Jack supposed represented a different season. The blue section at the far end of the room looked dim and disused.

 

After a moment Jack spotted several people approach as Gaea landed. They huddled around her exchanging greetings.

 

After a moment, one of them broke away to head towards Viridi, who promptly ignored him in favor of helping Jack through the window.

 

All conversation ended as Jack landed inside the room and the dim section of the floor lit up in a dazzling display of light, and energy pulsed throughout the room, leaving snowflakes of energy to drift to the ground.

 

A woman pushed through to stand in front of him. “As our compass shows, you are one of us.I am Mother Nature. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Her hair was like a cloud of black and she wore a dress of green that seemed to be spattered with dew.

 

Jack glanced at the other spirits behind her. All three of them were lined up at the far end of the room, perhaps out of fear of Gaea, whose very presence seemed menacing. “Is it really?”

 

Mother Nature frowned, looking puzzled. “We have been without a master of winter for several centuries. While the Maestro-“ She indicated the only other male spirit in the room, a tall, willowy looking fellow dressed in a rather fancy suit with red hair and carrying a baton. “-is able to conduct the winter weather, he is the master of summer and as such he has a very difficult making the season respond, especially as of late.”

 

She smiled. “But enough of that. Come meet the others.” She turned and ushered the others forward, skirting Gaea, who was watching carefully.

 

The first to approach was a female in a gold and orange ballgown. “My name is Calypso. I am the master of autumn.” She grinned. “I must say it’s nice not to be the baby anymore. I’ve only been around for fifty years.”

 

The silence in the room grew uncomfortable at that. Finally, Jack licked his lips and said, “ You still are. I was born seventy years ago.”

 

Jack looked away when Mother Nature stared at him. “Not possible.” She sounded horrified. “It can’t be! I would have sensed you!”

 

At this, Gaea finally softened. “I helped Man in the Moon raise him all those decades ago. I’m afraid I put more of myself into it than was wise and fell asleep. When I awoke, I made the mistake of presuming that others had found him.”

 

Viridi spoke up. “As it turns out, Jack’s first contact with an actual person was three days ago. We’re just fortunate it wasn’t someone malicious. Old Hills had apparently seen him several decades ago, but calling me used up what little power he had left, and he wasn’t able to make contact with Jack. By the time I had focused on him, Jack wasn’t there.” She scowled. “I’ve been searching nonstop since then.”

 

**It seems you were right after all, Palutena.** Everyone jumped as Medusa’s voice echoed through their heads.

 

_I don’t think that makes me feel any better._ Jack saw that she looked almost angry. _Clearly someone didn’t want Jack to interact with spirit society. I’d suspect Man in the Moon, but he wouldn’t do something like that deliberately._

Mother Nature scowled. “There will be vengeance.” Her hair crackled, and roll of thunder sounded. She softened slightly. “Will you stay with us Jack? I can have a room set up for you.”

 

Jack backed up slightly. “Um, if it’s all the same to you, I already have a place in Skyworld.” Trying not to stammer at her surprised expression, he said. “I’d kind of like to go back there now.”

 

**Hold on.** There was a flare of purple energy and Jack felt his insides twist as he vanished from the castle.

 

Mother Nature pursed her lips. “I must commend you Palutena. Not many would take action the way you have.”

 

She didn’t seem to expect an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy this one took me way too long! Real life has been kicking tail lately. Anywhoo, fairly plot heavy chapter. Palutena is a fairly savvy individual, and in the game she always caught on quick, she's also the only character in Uprising to NOT respond to praise except for a single occasion from Pit. She remains noticeably silent whenever he verbally defends her. Also, this is my take on how the telepathic conversations work. They project somewhere in the back of the mind. For those wondering, Maestro is simply Summer's self given title, his real name is Gherin. The spring spirit, Sumyria will appear properly next chapter.
> 
> As regards Gaea, While many people make her synonymous with Mother Nature, in my headcanon they are two distinct entities. Also as hinted by her appearance, Gaea pulls double duty as the spirit of Humanity.
> 
> PS: Good luck figuring out who Gaea's appearance is a tribute to. Granted i've made it pretty obvious, but the Character I'm describing is my favorite portrayal of her in media


End file.
